2018 United States President Donald J. Trump "State of the Union" speech

2018 United States President Donald J. Trump "State of the Union" speech

Mayor Marion Barry Statue Save the Date

Andrew McCabe Steps Down at F.B.I. in Widely Expected Move

Story by New York Times
Written by Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo

WASHINGTON — Andrew G. McCabe has stepped down as the F.B.I.’s deputy director, a move that was widely expected as he has repeatedly come under fire from Republicans in Congress and from President Trump.

Mr. McCabe made his intentions known to colleagues on Monday, an American official said. He will immediately go on leave and plans to retire when he becomes eligible in mid-March.

By appointing Mr. McCabe to the F.B.I.’s second-highest position in 2016, the director at the time, James B. Comey, was seen as valuing intellect and management over experience making cases. Mr. McCabe, a graduate of Duke and of Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, quickly ascended the bureau’s ranks, sometimes rankling the workaday agents who believed he did not pay his dues in the field.

Mr. McCabe’s supporters, though, regarded him as a new model for the F.B.I., which had transformed from a traditional law-and-order agency to a complicated intelligence-gathering operation.

Mr. McCabe joined the F.B.I. in 1996 as an agent in the New York office and moved quickly into some of the bureau’s most important jobs. Under Mr. Comey, it was clear that Mr. McCabe was being groomed for the deputy job.

But he took on the role during one of the most tumultuous and politically fraught periods in F.B.I. history. Agents investigated Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and the Trump campaign’s connections to Russian intelligence officers, and Mr. McCabe was at the center of both inquiries.

He first drew Mr. Trump’s ire because his wife, Jill McCabe, ran for a State Senate seat in Virginia as a Democrat and accepted nearly $500,000 in contributions from the political organization of Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime friend of the Clintons.

Mr. McCabe did not become deputy director until after his wife was defeated, and records show that he disclosed his wife’s candidacy and sought advice from senior F.B.I. officials. But critics, including some inside the bureau itself, said he should have recused himself. The F.B.I. has said Mr. McCabe played no role in his wife’s campaign.

Mr. Trump and his allies have sought to use Mr. McCabe’s wife’s campaign as evidence that the Russia investigation was part of a Democratic-led effort to undermine his candidacy and presidency.

Happy Birthday Professor Emeritus Angela Davis

Angela Davis

Story by Black Past

Angela Davis, activist, educator, scholar, and politician, was born on January 26, 1944, in the “Dynamite Hill” area of Birmingham, Alabama. The area received that name because so many African American homes in this middle class neighborhood had been bombed over the years by the Ku Klux Klan. Her father, Frank Davis, was a service station owner and her mother, Sallye Davis, was an elementary school teacher. Davis’s mother was also active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), when it was dangerous to be openly associated with the organization because of its civil rights activities. As a teenager Davis moved to New York City with her mother, who was pursuing a Master’s degree at New York University. While there she attended Elizabeth Irwin High School, a school considered leftist because a number of its teachers were blacklisted during the McCarthy era for their earlier alleged Communist activities.

In 1961 Davis enrolled in Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. While at Brandeis, Davis also studied abroad for a year in France and returned to the U.S. to complete her studies, joining Phi Beta Kappa and earning her B.A. (magna cum laude) in 1965. Even before her graduation, Davis, so moved by the deaths of the four girls killed in the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in her hometown in 1963, that she decided to join the civil rights movement. By 1967, however, Davis was influenced by Black Power advocates and joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and then the Black Panther Party. She also continued her education, earning an M.A. from the University of California at San Diego in 1968. Davis moved further to the left in the same year when she became a member of the American Communist Party.

In 1969 Angela Davis was hired by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as an assistant professor of philosophy, but her involvement in the Communist Party led to her dismissal. During the early 1970s she also became active in the movement to improve prison conditions for inmates. That work led to her campaign to release the “Soledad (Prison) Brothers." The Soledad Brothers were two African American prisoners and Black Panther Party members, George Jackson and W. L. Nolen, who were incarcerated in the late 1960s.

On August 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson, the younger brother of George Jackson, attempted to free prisoners who were on trial in the Marin County Courthouse. During this failed attempt, Superior Court Judge Harold Haley and three others including Jonathan Jackson were killed. Although Davis did not participate in the actual break-out attempt, she became a suspect when it was discovered that the guns used by Jackson were registered in her name. Davis fled to avoid arrest and was placed on the FBI’s most wanted list. Law enforcement captured her several months later in New York. During her high profile trial in 1972, Davis was acquitted on all charges.

The incident nonetheless generated an outcry against Davis and then "California Governor Ronald Reagan" campaigned to prevent her from teaching in the California State university system. Despite the governor’s objection, Davis became a lecturer in women’s and ethnic studies at San Francisco State University in 1977.

As a scholar, Davis has authored five books, including Angela Davis: An Autobiography in 1974; Women, Race, and Class in 1983; and Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday in 1999.

In the political arena, Davis ran unsuccessfully in 1980 and 1984 on the Communist Party ticket for vice president of the United States. Davis continues to be an activist and lecturer as Professor Emeritus of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Women's and Gender Studies Department at Syracuse University.

Wangari Maathai - The Profile

Story by KTN News Kenya

Professor Wangari Muta Maathai was a woman of many firsts. Her unrivalled determination to fight for what she believed in throughout her life set her apart from the ordinary Kenyan woman. Here's now a summary of the fallen heroine's battles, controversies and achievements.



Story below by StridesinDevelopment

Wangari Maathai is a Kenyan environmentalist and political activist. In the 1970s, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental NGO focused on environmental conservation and women's rights. In 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to sustainable development, democracy, and peace.

The Green Belt Movement (http://greenbeltmovement.org) organizes rural women in Kenya to plant trees, an effort that combats deforestation while generating income for the community and promoting empowerment for women. Since Maathai founded the Movement, over 40 million trees have been planted and over 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, beekeeping, and other sustainable, income-generating activities.

Wangari Maathai also recommends:
• Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org)
• United Nations Environmental Programme (http://www.unep.org)



Story below by Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

To commemorate and honor the life and work of Professor Wangari Maathai, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) opened Forest Day 5, one of the most intensive and influential annual global events on forests, with a short video about the Nobel Laureate.

This film was commissioned by UNEP, ICRAF and CIFOR on behalf of the CPF.

Congressmen Elijah Cummings (Md.) and Jimmy Gomez (Ca.) question "Bank of America’s Decision to Terminate No-Fee Checking Accounts" Right After Receiving Massive Tax Windfall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jennifer Werner/Aryele Bradford
Jan. 26, 2018
(202) 226-5181

Cummings and Gomez Question Bank of America’s
Decision to Terminate No-Fee Checking Accounts
Right After Receiving Massive Tax Windfall
https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2018-01-26.EEC%20Gomez%20to%20Moynihan-BoA%20re%20Tax%20Bill.pdf

Washington, D.C. (Jan. 26, 2018)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Committee Member Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) sent a letter requesting information about Bank of America’s decision to terminate consumer bank accounts that charge no monthly fees within just weeks of receiving one of the most massive financial windfalls in history as part of the Republican tax legislation enacted in December.

“It is difficult to understand why one of America’s largest banks would end a program that many low-income American families rely on just weeks after benefitting from one of the largest tax cuts in American history,” Cummings and Gomez wrote. “Surely, your corporation could have devoted at least a fraction of these massive savings to maintaining existing programs that help low-income families move towards financial security and independence rather than forcing them to turn to alternative financial services providers.”

According to an assessment by Goldman Sachs, Bank of America reportedly stands to reap one of the largest windfalls—$3.5 billion in tax savings in 2018 alone—thanks to the passage of H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Within just weeks of this legislation becoming law, the Wall Street Journal reported on January 22, 2018, that “Bank of America Corp. has eliminated a free checking account popular with some lower-income customers, requiring them to keep more money at the bank to avoid a monthly fee.” According to the article, these accounts “had no monthly fee so long as customers didn’t use a bank teller for routine transactions and agreed to receive their statements online.”

“We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to end this program and instead consider the exact opposite approach—expanding your no-fee products and other programs to help low-income American families,” Cummings and Gomez wrote. “One of the Republican talking points for the tax bill was that massive financial benefits would “trickle down” to the less fortunate among us, but we have seen just the opposite in this case.”

Cummings and Gomez requested that Bank of America provide documents and information relating to its decision, including the number of individuals enrolled in these accounts, the annual cost to Bank of America to provide these no-fee accounts, and the financial effects of the Republican tax bill on Bank of America’s revenues, expenditures, and profits.
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Click here to read today’s letter: https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2018-01-26.EEC%20Gomez%20to%20Moynihan-BoA%20re%20Tax%20Bill.pdf

Ex-USA Gymnastics doctor sentenced to 175 years for sexual abuse

Story by Reuters
Written by Steve Friess

LANSING, Mich., Jan 24 - The disgraced long-time USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced on Wednesday to up to 175 years in prison for molesting young female gymnasts, following days of wrenching testimony in a Michigan courtroom from about 160 of his victims, including Olympic gold medalists.

"I just signed your death warrant," Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told Nassar in imposing the penalty, after delivering a searing rebuke of his years of abuse.

"It is my honor and privilege to sentence you because you do not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again."

Some victims dabbed their eyes after Aquilina spoke, although the audience obeyed the judge's instruction to remain quiet following her pronouncement.

Nassar, 54, pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of first-degree sex assault in Ingham County, as well as three additional charges in Eaton County, where he will be sentenced next week. He is already serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison for child pornography convictions.

Before the sentence was announced, Nassar apologized to his victims, telling them, "I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days."

But Aquilina angrily dismissed his statement as insincere, reading aloud from a letter Nassar wrote to her in which he claimed he was a "good doctor" who was "manipulated" into pleading guilty, drawing gasps from the courtroom.

South African music legend Hugh Masekela dies at 78

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - NOVEMBER 28: South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela on November 28, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / City Press / Lucky Nxumalo).

Legendary South African musical icon Hugh Masekela has died at the age of 78 on Tuesday. His battle was long but his career will see him go down in SA history.

Story by The South African and BBC

South African musical legend Hugh Masekela has died in a Johannesburg hospital after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Masakela was 78-years-old.


Song: Hugh Masekela - Grazing in the Grass

The jazz hero had been receiving treatment for his cancer since 2008. He was scheduled to perform at the Hugh Masekela Heritage Festival in October but cancelled to focus fully on battling the disease.

In a statement, his family said he had "passed peacefully" in Johannesburg "after a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer".

Masekela gained global recognition with his distinctive Afro-Jazz sound and hits such as Soweto Blues.

The 1977 song became synonymous with the anti-apartheid movement.

In a statement, South African President Jacob Zuma said Masekela's death was "an immeasurable loss to the music industry and to the country at large".

Zuma continued: "His contribution to the struggle for liberation will never be forgotten."

Masakela was born on 4 April 1939 in Witbank. He began his musical journey by playing the piano as a child. He had also credited his love for jazz from the movie Young Man with a Horn, a film about jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke.

He was then assisted by anti-apartheid activist Father Trevor Huddleston who helped him get access to a trumpet and arranged tuition. This led to Masekela quickly joining the country’s first youth orchestra, the Huddleston Jazz Band.

After joining the cast of an “all African jazz opera” King Kong in London, Masekela ended up staying in London to study at the London Guildhall School of Music. He also later moved to the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

After working on King Kong which also helped launch fellow SA icon Miriam Makeba’s career, the pair married for two brief years in 1964.

Hugh Masekela's biggest song is the iconic "Grazing in the Grass", which reached number one on the U.S. Pop and R/B charts.

Masekela has collaborated and performed with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon.

May he rest in peace and be remembered for his incredible music.
____________________________________
Read more:
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42786749
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Masekela

2 Senate Republicans voted no on bill to end shutdown

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the agreement shortly ahead of the vote: “After several discussions, offers, counter-offers, the Republican leader and I have come to an arrangement. We will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiating a global agreement, with the commitment that, if an agreement isn’t reached by February 8, the Senate will immediately proceed to consideration of legislation dealing with DACA.”

Story by CNN

The Senate surpassed the 60 vote threshold to break filibuster on a bill to reopen the government and fund it until Feb. 8. The final tally for this procedural vote was 81-18.

These Republicans voted no:

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky
________________________________
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/senate-poised-pass-bill-end-government-shutdown-n839861

Senate Democrats back bill reopening government: Schumer

Story by Reuters
Written by Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers struck a deal to reopen the federal government three days into a shutdown prompted by an impasse over immigration and border security, the Senate Democratic leader said on Monday.

"We will vote today to reopen the government," Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the Senate. Schumer said Democrats would continue negotiating with Republicans on a bill to protect young immigrants from deportation.
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*Update - Baltimore Public Schools Town Hall meeting today at 6pm: https://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2018/01/baltimore-townhall-meeting-at-paul.html

Baltimore police leader fired after record year in homicides

Mayor Catherine Pugh listens as new Baltimore police commissioner Darryl DeSousa makes remarks at City Hall during a news conference, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 in Baltimore. Following a record year in homicides, Pugh fired Kevin Davis' the city's police commissioner, saying a change in leadership was needed to reduce crime more quickly. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun via AP)

Story by AP
Written by David McFadden

BALTIMORE (AP) — Following a record year in per-capita homicides, Baltimore's mayor on Friday fired the city's police commissioner after roughly 2 ½ years at the helm, saying a change in leadership was needed to reduce violent crime more quickly.

Mayor Catherine Pugh announced that Deputy Commissioner Darryl DeSousa, who has steadily risen through the ranks during a 30-year career with the police department, will take Commissioner Kevin Davis' place immediately.

"My decision is because I'm impatient," Pugh said at a news conference at City Hall. "My decision is based on the fact that we need to get these numbers down. ... I'm looking for new and creative, innovative ways to change what we're seeing here every day."

While violent crime rates in Baltimore have been notoriously high for decades, Baltimore ended 2017 with 343 killings, bringing the annual homicide rate to its highest ever — roughly 56 killings per 100,000 people. Baltimore, which has shrunk over decades, currently has about 615,000 inhabitants.

In contrast, New York City had 290 homicides last year, its fewest on record in the modern era for the city of 8.5 million people. Los Angeles, with about 4 million residents, saw 305 homicides last year.

DeSousa, a 53-year-old city resident who joined the department in 1988, pledged to reduce violent crime in large part by putting more uniformed officers on the streets and saturating "hot spots," an effort he said is already underway. Additional uniformed officers began rolling out in waves starting at 9 a.m., he said at the news conference, some heading out to what he described as "problematic businesses."....
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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/baltimore-mayor-replaces-police-commissioner-135711015.html

Public Town Hall Meeting this Monday January 22nd, 6:00 p.m. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore · Hosted by Baltimore City Public Schools

Story by Baltimore City Public Schools

Recent cold weather has highlighted many problems with our school buildings. Join us on Monday, January 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School at 1400 Orleans Street.

Share your concerns with district leaders and get answers to your questions about building maintenance, snow day decisions, and next steps. Interpretation and childcare will be available.

Unable to attend in person? Watch the event on Facebook Live on January 22 at 6:00 p.m.

If you have questions or concerns that you'd like to share before the Town Hall, please email us at communications@bcps.k12.md.us. For more information, call 410-545-1870.

Read more: https://www.facebook.com/baltcityschools/videos/1540808989366547/

C.B.C..F.'s Executive Economic Summit V

Story by Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

This past December, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, inc. (CBCF) hosted its fifth Executive Economic Summit (EES V) entitled, After Hurricane Harvey: Economic Lessons Learned and the role of Business in National Disaster Relief Efforts in Houston, TX with distinguished guest and elected officials in attendance.

Part five in the series highlighted the ongoing need for relief efforts in parts of the country decimated by natural disasters. Throughout the summit, guest heard from chairwomen, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; CBCF president and CEO, A. Shuanise Washington; Rep. Stacey Plaskett; Vista Equity Partners founder and CEO, Robert F. Smith; Revered Jessie Jackson Sr.; and the Mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner.



Attendees of the summit also visited the homes of Hurricane Harvey survivors and learned there is still much work to be done in the fight to restore the affected areas.

Newly Discovered December 7, 1964 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation & Apartheid South Africa

Story by Democracy Now
Video by Pacifica Radio Archives

In a Democracy Now! and Pacifica Radio Archives exclusive, we air a newly discovered recording of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On December 7, 1964, days before he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, King gave a major address in London on segregation, the fight for civil rights and his support for Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.

The speech was recorded by Saul Bernstein, who was working as the European correspondent for Pacifica Radio. Bernstein’s recording was recently discovered by Brian DeShazor, director of the Pacifica Radio Archives.

______________________________________________________
Former President Barack Obama:

"Dr. King was 26 when the Montgomery bus boycott began. He started small, rallying others who believed their efforts mattered, pressing on through challenges and doubts to change our world for the better. A permanent inspiration for the rest of us to keep pushing towards justice.?

Barack

Lakers to Honor Elgin Baylor with a Statue at Staples Center

Los Angeles Lakers and NBA Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor

EL SEGUNDO – The Los Angeles Lakers, STAPLES Center and AEG announced today the plans for a statue dedicated to Elgin Baylor at Star Plaza at STAPLES Center. The statue will be unveiled on April 6th during an outdoor ceremony at Staples Center prior to the Lakers vs. Minnesota game.

“I am thrilled that 60 years after the Minneapolis Lakers drafted Elgin, we are able to celebrate and honor him with a statue,” said Lakers CEO and Controlling Owner Jeanie Buss. “Not only is Elgin a part of the Lakers family, his contributions to the game of basketball earned him a place in the Hall of Fame. His list of accomplishments are unparalleled and I can’t wait to see his statue at Star Plaza alongside the other Lakers legends.”

Drafted first overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958, Baylor averaged 24.9 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists as a rookie en route to Rookie of the Year honors. The Washington, D.C. native would go on to play 14 seasons for the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers, earning NBA All-Star honors 11 times, with 10 First Team All-NBA appearances. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, Baylor’s jersey (#22) was retired by the Lakers on November 3, 1983. Over his 14-year career, Baylor averaged 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 846 games.

Baylor’s statue, created by renowned sculptors/artists Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany, will join those of former Lakers Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and former Lakers broadcaster Francis “Chick” Hearn, boxer Oscar De La Hoya, former Kings hockey players Luc Robitaille and Wayne Gretzy and LA Kings broadcaster Bob Miller.

Diana Richardson: Opioid abuse gets you sent to treatment. Crack abuse gets you sent to prison

Diana Richardson: Opioid abuse gets you sent to treatment. Crack abuse gets you sent to prison.

Read more: https://www.facebook.com/NowThisPolitics/videos/1766384536726362/

First Lady Michele Obama and daughter Malia in Miami at the Beach on M.L.K. Day

Former First Lady Attorney Michele Obama with daughter Malia and friends in Miami at the Beach on MLK Day. (Photo: Splash)


Former First Family member Malia Obama takes a walk with Mother and friends in Miami at the beach (Photo: Splash)

Hello Kirk --

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 89 years old today.

And as people around the country and the world celebrate his legacy with acts of service, I'm thinking about something that President Obama shared with a room full of young people in New Delhi, India, last month -- something that folks might not know about Dr. King:

He was just 25 years old when he moved to Montgomery, Alabama, to serve as a pastor. And only 26 during the Montgomery bus boycott. A young man with a big dream -- to desegregate the South.

"And he started in small steps," President Obama shared that day last month.

"It was only a few years later when he won the Nobel Prize and would help to revolutionize America. But it wasn't just Dr. King -- it was all these young people around him who were just like us. They had their flaws. They had their problems. They had their doubts. But despite all those imperfections, they pressed forward anyway -- often far from the limelight -- with determination and with faith in the future, because they believed that their efforts would matter and that they would be part of this upward trajectory in our human story.

"So that's the legacy that is available to you should you choose to grab it. That should inspire each of you to keep pushing for progress in whatever field you're in and whatever communities that you live in, knowing that your efforts matter."

This, quite simply, is the very mission of the Obama Foundation: helping young people see themselves in the future of their country -- and giving them the tools and resources they need to forge their own path to shape it.

I'm proud to be doing this work alongside you -- today and every day.

- David

David Simas
CEO, Obama Foundation

NAACP Image Awards on TV One Monday January 15, 2018

NAACP Image Awards Monday January 15, 2018 9pm eastern on TV One

Baltimore Townhall Meeting at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School on January 22nd @ 6pm, regarding "No Heat in School Classrooms" (Share Please)

Kids in class with no heat with single-digit temperatures sitting on the cold floor.


Frustrated parents made scolding comments to Baltimore City School Board members during a meeting Tuesday night to address a lack of heat in many schools.
(WBAL-TV11 News)


Morgan State University Radio 88.9fm WEAA - The Voice of the Community with Dr. Kaye speaking about schools not having heat on a 5-degree weather day


Frustrated parents made scolding comments to Baltimore City School Board members during a meeting Tuesday night to address a lack of heat in many schools.
(WBAL-TV11 News)


Baltimore schools close due to lack of heat (RT America)


Frigid schools lead to heated Baltimore City Public School Board meeting (ABC2 News - WMAR)

Nina Simone - Baltimore

Nina Simone


Photographer Ty Waller: "Baltimore through my lens around 1969. The photos of the police on E. Chase Street were taken the day after MLK's assassination. They were sent to protect us from us. Of course this was long before the riverfront revitalization. That is why you see a few pictures of drunks and beggars. Don't think that exists downtown anymore."


"Baltimore (Live 1987 / Vine St. Bar & Grill)" by Nina Simone


Nina Simone - Sinnerman (1965)


Nina Simone - Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair


Four Women Nina Simone


Nina Simone: Mississippi Goddamn

Husband Arrested For Murder Of Radio Host Wife

Story by Radio Ink

This story sounds like it was ripped from the pages of a James Patterson novel. Sixty-eight-year-old James Kauffman has been arrested and charged with murdering his wife, New Jersey radio host April Kauffman (pictured here). ABC-TV in Philadelphia is reporting that Kauffman paid a hitman to murder his wife to protect an alleged drug ring he ran with the Pagans outlaw motorcycle gang.

During a Tuesday news conference, prosecutor Damon Tyner said it all began over seven years ago when April Kauffman threatened divorce. According to ABC-6, investigators say she threatened to spend as much money as she could until a divorce was granted, and threatened to expose the drug operation. So, James Kauffman and his 61-year-old friend, and Pagan member Ferdinand Augello, began looking for a hitman at that time. The name of the hitman was Francis Mulholland, according to investigators.

According to prosecuters, James Kauffman said he would sooner kill April than grant the divorce and lose half his empire. Investigators say Francis Mulholland entered the Kauffman’s home and shot April Kauffman twice, killing her, back in 2012. The price for the hit, according to prosecuters, was $20,000 cash. Francis Mulholland has since passed away. Investigators say Kauffman continued to run his drug operation even after his wife was killed.

In June of 2017 James Kauffman was arrested on weapons possession.

April Kauffman worked for WOND, which is a News-Talk station in Linwood, New Jersey, owned by Longport Media.

'Queen of the Blues' Denise LaSalle dead at 78

Longtime singer Denise LaSalle sitting with her husband former D.J. and Radio Station Owner James Wolfe. (Photo: OMER YUSUF/The Jackson Sun)

Bio by Wikepedia

Ora Denise Allen (July 16, 1939 – January 8, 2018),[1][2][3] known by the stage name Denise LaSalle, was an American blues and R&B/soul singer, songwriter, and record producer who, since the death of Koko Taylor, had been recognized as the "Queen of the Blues".[4]

Her best known song was "Trapped by a Thing Called Love".

Born near Sidon, Mississippi and raised in Belzoni, she sang in church choirs before moving to Chicago in the early 1960s. She sat in with R&B musicians and wrote songs, influenced by country music as well as the blues, before winning a recording contract with Chess Records in 1967. Her first single, "A Love Reputation" was a modest regional hit.

She established an independent production company, Crajon, with her then husband Bill Jones. Her song "Trapped By A Thing Called Love" (1971) was released on Detroit-based Westbound Records. This reached #1 on the national R&B chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song ranked at #85 on the 1971 year-end chart. The RIAA gold disc award was made on November 30, 1971 for a million sales.


Denise LaSalle's biggest hit "Trapped by a thing called Love"

She also wrote successful follow-ups, "Now Run And Tell That" and "Man Sized Job" which made #3 and #4 in the R&B Top Ten and also charted in the Hot 100. Her early hits were recorded at the Hi recording studios in Memphis, operated by Willie Mitchell, using the cream of southern session players. She continued to have hits on Westbound and then on ABC Records through the mid-1970s, including "Love Me Right" (#10 R&B, #80 pop) She continued to produce and perform live. Her co-penned song, "Married, But Not to Each Other" (#16 R&B) was included in the 1979 The Best of Barbara Mandrell, compilation album.

In the early 1980s, she signed as a singer and songwriter with Malaco Records, for whom she released a string of critically acclaimed albums over more than 20 years, starting with Lady in the Street (1983) and Right Place, Right Time (1984). Both albums became major successes among soul blues, R&B and soul fans and on urban radio stations. In 1985, she enjoyed her only recognition in the UK Singles Chart, when her cover version of Rockin' Sidney's "My Toot Toot" reached #6.

LaSalle appeared at the 1984 and 1993 versions of the Long Beach Blues Festival, and also in 1993, she performed at the San Francisco Blues Festival. Her album Smokin' In Bed (1997) sold well. After more than a decade away, when she recorded three albums with small Memphis-based soul-blues label, Ecko, she returned to Malaco for her 2010 outing called "24 Hour Woman". She continues to work as a live performer, particularly at festivals, and more recently has branched out into the gospel genre. In 2011, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

LaSalle now lives with her husband, James E. Wolfe, in Jackson, Tennessee, where she opened a restaurant called Blues Legend Café. The restaurant was located at 436 E. Main Street and has since closed.

In 2013 and 2014, LaSalle was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Soul Blues Female Artist' category. On June 6, 2015, LaSalle was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
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Read More: http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/2018/01/09/jackson-music-legend-denise-lasalle-dieslegendary-rhythm-blues-recording-artist-and-jackson-resident/1016580001/

Steve Bannon steps down from Breitbart

Story by The Hill
Written by Avery Anapol

Stephen Bannon is stepping down from his role as chairman of Breitbart News.

Breitbart confirmed the former White House chief strategist's departure on Tuesday on their website.

“I’m proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform," Bannon said.

Bannon's departure comes after Bannon found himself at odds with President Trump over quotes Bannon made in the recently published Michael Wolff book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House." In the book, Bannon called the 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer "treasonous."

The New York Times reported that Bannon was forced out by billionaire Breitbart investor Rebekah Mercer, who earlier this month cut ties with the former White House chief strategist.

Bannon belatedly apologized for his remarks in the book on Sunday, but the White House rejected his apology.

How Tua Tagovailoa became Alabama's unlikely legend

"I just didn't feel we could run the ball well enough," Nick Saban said, "and I thought Tua would give us a better chance and a spark, which he certainly did." Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Story by ESPN
Written by Alex Scarborough

ATLANTA -- DeVonta Smith heard the playcall come in and knew he had a chance. On second-and-26 in overtime, with Alabama trailing Georgia 23-20, the freshman receiver had just learned he was going to run a go route into the end zone.

He smiled and looked over at his quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

"Trust me, bro," Smith told him.

Tagovailoa, the true freshman who replaced starter Jalen Hurts coming out of halftime, didn't say a word back. The lefty from Hawaii simply nodded his head, the picture of calm under pressure.

Seconds later, Smith and Tagovailoa connected on a touchdown that now belongs to history -- a 41-yard strike that delivered Alabama its fifth national championship under coach Nick Saban.

"Hole shot," Smith explained, referring to his splitting the coverage to get open.

On the sideline, Hurts saw it all unfold as if in slow motion.

Hurts had been benched, but the sophomore was still engaged, dissecting the coverage on his own. It was instinctual, he explained. He diagnosed a two-high safety shell and thought his backup wouldn't dare try it.

But Tagovailoa did and, moments later, Hurts was holding him in his arms. No one was happier for the freshman than Hurts.

"I love you," Hurts said he told Tagovailoa. "This is what you're made for. You're built for this."

As Hurts recounted the whole ordeal, as he revealed how he learned he was benched by Saban ("Ain't no conversation," Hurts said. "It was a decision he made. He's a boss and he made a great decision."), junior running back Damien Harris was shouting at him.

"We took that s---," Harris said. "They said we ain't supposed to be here. And we won the whole thing!"

That they did.

And without Saban's decision to pull Hurts, who knows?

It took guts. Ask former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard about Saban's decision, and he would tell you it took another piece of the human body, not one suitable for family programming.

Hurts was struggling, having completed just 3 of 8 passes for 21 yards. But he is still a former SEC Offensive Player of the Year with 61 career touchdowns, and he had taken this team to back-to-back championship games.

"He's one of the only [coaches] that could do that," Howard said of Saban's decision, "because he's a legend."

Ask Saban, and there was never a doubt. The offense was struggling, he knew Georgia had prepared all week for a run-heavy game plan and a curveball seemed in order.

"I just didn't feel we could run the ball well enough," he said, "and I thought Tua would give us a better chance and a spark, which he certainly did."

Ask players, and there was never a doubt, either.

Maybe they didn't expect the quarterback change, but they expected nothing less from Tagovailoa.

Wideout and fellow freshman Jerry Jeudy asked reporters if they remembered the spectacular touchdown Tagovailoa threw in relief against Vanderbilt. He went back further to the recruiting circuit to explain how it was nothing new to Tagovailoa.

"Even in practice you see that," he said. "It was his time to shine and he turned up."

Outside the locker room after the game, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher stood by to wait to pay his respects to his former boss, Saban. Getting a sixth national championship, Fisher said, put Saban in the conversation for the best coach of all time.

Fisher had been through battles with Saban before and understood his thinking, going all the way back to a long forgotten bowl game at LSU when they had to make a change at quarterback from Josh Booty to Rohan Davey.

Saban's old offensive coordinator might have been the least surprised person in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night when he pulled the trigger at QB. The narrative that Saban is inflexible caused Fisher to shake his head.

"That's about as polar opposite of what he's like," Fisher said. "He's very flexible.

"He has a feel for the game, the momentum of things. He understands the big picture of the game. He sees the thing in a very wide view. And he's able to make those calls; he's not scared to make those calls."

Still.

To do that in that moment with all that on the line? C'mon.

Saban put his faith in a true freshman with eight games of mop-up duty on his résumé. Tagovailoa promptly came in and threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns.

"I don't know how Coach Saban found me all the way in Hawaii from Alabama," Tagovailoa said. "Thank God he found me and we're here right now."

What's next? Well, that's where things get interesting.

Hurts has been through countless battles, compiling a 25-2 record under Saban. His ability to run the football -- and run it with power -- is a useful weapon that most teams can't account for.

But Tagovailoa? He's the wild card of all wild cards.

Tagovailoa's talent is obvious. No one has a coming-out party like that. His ability to create plays in the passing game and stretch the field is on another level.

He's not exactly your typical Saban QB. He's a gunslinger, Jeudy said.

"He's got a great arm," the wide receiver said.

Good enough to permanently unseat Hurts as the starter? We'll see.

For now, Tagovailoa's work in the national championship game is the stuff of legend.

And Saban's decision to hand him the reins will forever be remembered.
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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/lane-kiffin-no-doubt-tua-tagovailoa-transferred-didnt-play-monday-165038619.html

Former 'Trump--pardoned' Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he'll run for United States Senate

Story by Reuters

Joe Arpaio, a former Arizona sheriff and a close ally of President Donald Trump, said on Tuesday he would run for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Republican Senator Jeff Flake.

"I am running for the U.S. Senate from the Great State of Arizona, for one unwavering reason: to support the agenda and policies of President Donald Trump in his mission to Make America Great Again," Arpaio said on Twitter.

Arpaio was convicted last July of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case that highlighted tensions over U.S. immigration policy, but was pardoned by Trump the following month.

A federal judge had ruled that Arpaio wilfully violated a 2011 injunction barring his officers from detaining Latino drivers solely on the suspicion that they were in the county illegally.

Arpaio, who dubbed himself "the toughest sheriff in America," lost a bid for re-election in Arizona's Maricopa County in 2016 after 24 years in office.

His tenure, including his tough stance on illegal immigration, drew notice from outside the county. He also reinstated chain gangs, made inmates wear uniforms that were pink or old-fashioned black and white stripes and forbade them coffee, salt and pepper.
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Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/25/politics/sheriff-joe-arpaio-donald-trump-pardon/index.html

Baltimore May Sell Homes for $1 to Revive Neglected Neighborhoods

Baltimore's abandon homes could be sold for one dollar(Image: Flickr/Eli Pousson)

Story by Black Enterprise
Written by Selena Hill

Link to the Bill: https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3128180&GUID=09DF2A71-AD6B-470F-A894-DC3D2ED573F4&Options=ID|Text|&Search=dollar+homes

In order to revitalize distressed neighborhoods in Maryland, council members and local community advocates are pushing for a government program that would sell thousands of vacant buildings in Baltimore for $1 each. In turn, buyers would have to promise to refurbish and live in the properties for a certain period of time.

According to a bill (https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3128180&GUID=09DF2A71-AD6B-470F-A894-DC3D2ED573F4&Options=ID|Text|&Search=dollar+homes) adopted by the Baltimore City Council last month, the program would revitalize “marginal neighborhoods by matching construction ability at the grass roots of Baltimore to production of affordable housing for workers’ families and neighbors.” The idea is modeled after the 1973 “Dollar House” program, which sold rundown, city-owned houses for $1 and helped rebuild ravaged neighborhoods in the city throughout the 1980s. The original program also granted buyers low-interest loans to rehabilitate the properties as long as they lived in the homes for a certain amount of time.

Now, advocates want to restore the program to curb the city’s blight epidemic and prevent more homes from becoming vacant. The program would also create construction jobs, say advocates.

On the other hand, the housing commissioner argues that the program is outdated and that there is not enough government funding to address the estimated 16,000 to 46,000 vacant homes in Baltimore, reports The Baltimore Sun. That’s triple the amount in the ’80s. Plus, about 250,000 fewer people live in the city compared to when the program first started.

Nonetheless, real estate agent and affordable housing specialist Mable Ivory applauded the idea, arguing that city governments have implemented similar programs to revitalize distressed areas in Detroit and Harlem. “It has been proven that when home ownership increased among residents in neighborhoods like Harlem and Detroit, which were once plagued by urban blight and flight, crime declined and the communities became more beautiful as owners took pride in their neighborhoods and took better care of them,” she said in an email. “Baltimore seeks to mirror the success that has been experienced in Harlem and Detroit by creating a similar, discount homeownership program.”

Whether interested in buying a vacant property in Baltimore or purchasing an affordable home elsewhere, Ivory advises potential purchasers to “do their due diligence and research” before taking on the cost of homeownership. “If possible, before bidding on the properties, homeowners should do a property inspection with licensed professionals, such as contractors, architects, and engineers, to have a clear and full understanding of all the repairs needed to make the home inhabitable; the cost of the repairs; as well as the time it will take to complete the entire renovation. The good news is that there are mortgage loan programs available like the FHA 203(k) mortgage loan program, which provide financing for the total renovation of a home.”

Black Panther Official Movie Trailer

Long live the king. New trailer for Marvel Studios #BlackPanther. In theaters February 16!


Chadwick shares a couple events that eerily prophesied his eventual casting as The Black Panther on Jimmy Gimmel Live.


Chadwick Boseman Talks About Being A Superhero in Captain America | The View

SPRING 2017 RADIO DATA - Fan favorite: Radio Listeners spend 58% of their Tune-in time with their favorite station

Story by Neilsen

Less than a decade ago, most consumers could not have imagined the plethora of ways they’d have to engage with content. But the rise of technology and smart devices has opened the media option floodgates and consumption and old habits have changed accordingly. Engagement with AM/FM radio has not been immune to these changes. Now, with the click of a button, consumers can access their favorite radio station in sunny San Diego, listen to weather updates in New York or listen to pop music walking to school in Denver.

LOCATION AND EMPLOYMENT DRIVE RADIO CONSUMPTION

But with so many listening options, how can AM/FM stations compete to have a greater “ear” share with consumers? Well, the popular adage “location, location, location,” rings true when it comes to radio.

According to the second-quarter 2017 Nielsen Total Audience Report, Americans spend 87% of their AM/FM radio listening tuning into their three favorite stations (based on the amount of time spent with each). What’s more interesting is that 58% of all listening goes to just one station, the listener's favorite (called the “1st Preference” station, or P1). While format preferences differ by listening habits, geography and even demographics, one thing is certain, AM/FM radio plays a very important role in the daily lives of consumers.



Compared with media choices 10 years ago, audio options today are much more diverse, but AM/FM radio still reaches 93% of U.S. adults. But where and when is listening taking place?

MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS OF AM/FM LISTENING HAPPENS AWAY FROM THE HOME

When it comes to listening to AM/FM radio, more than two-thirds of listening happens away from the home—when people are working or close to the point of purchase when they’re shopping. According to the report, at least 65% of American adults listen to the radio away from the home between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. during weekdays. And consumption peaks at 75% outside of the home during the afternoon drive time, between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. during the week. Not surprisingly, Americans who are employed listen to AM/FM radio more than those who don’t work.



The report’s data also showed that 76% of radio listeners are between the ages of 18 and 64 and are in the workforce. Listeners who are employed full-time engage with radio 2.5 hours longer per week than listeners who are not. With the average commute to work in the U.S. at nearly 26 minutes (according to the U.S. Census Bureau), it’s no surprise that peak hours for listeners who are employed full-time are between 7 a.m. and 8 am and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

For advertisers, these are critical insights because they provide details about when they can engage with an attentive audience—an audience that spends nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes with the medium and has disposable income.



REACHING DIVERSE LISTENERS BY FORMAT

Knowing which formats consumers tune in is a critical part of understanding their listening habits. Of the top 20 formats in 2017, Country and News/Talk were the top two, securing 13.6% and 12.2% shares of audience, respectively (of all radio listening nationwide, 13.6% went to Country stations, and 12.2% went to News/Talk). Because radio formats are tailored to reach large groups of people with common interests, it’s an effective media to reach more diverse audiences. For example, at least 67% of black and Hispanic consumers listen to AM/FM radio daily: Hispanics tune in an average 5.2 days per week, and blacks tune in 5 days per week.



While the change in seasons brings changes in media consumption, there is very little seasonal fluctuation when it comes to AM/FM radio. Over the course of the year, the monthly radio audience in Nielsen Portable People Meter markets changes by only around 10% from the most-listened-to month (May) to the least-listened-to (January). Radio listening is also consistent year round, with a very high reach and frequent usage among average listeners (5 out of seven days per week tuned in).
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Read more: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2017/fan-favorite-radio-listeners-spend-58-percent-of-their-tune-in-time-with-fave-station.html?cid=socSprinklr-Nielsen

NFL Ratings Fall at Faster Pace

Average audience for a game fell 9.7% to 14.9 million, but league says NFL programming still accounted for 33 of top 50 programs on TV in 2017

Story by Wall Street Journal
Written by Joe Flint

The decline in TV ratings for National Football League games accelerated in the recently completed 2017 regular season, though NFL games remain among the most-watched programming on television.

The average audience for a game was 14.9 million this season, down 9.7% compared with 16.5 million viewers for the 2016 regular season, according to Nielsen. That is a steeper decline than the 8% viewership erosion last year.

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Chris Kennedy accuses Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel of 'Strategic Gentrafication Plan' to force African-Americans OUT of Chicago

Story by Chicago Tribune
Written by Rick Pearson and Bill Ruthhart

Democratic governor candidate Chris Kennedy on Wednesday accused Mayor Rahm Emanuel of leading a “strategic gentrification plan” aimed at forcing African-Americans and other minorities out of Chicago to make the city “whiter” and wealthier.

“I believe that black people are being pushed out of Chicago intentionally by a strategy that involves disinvestment in communities being implemented by the city administration, and I believe Rahm Emanuel is the head of the city administration and therefore needs to be held responsible for those outcomes,” Kennedy said during a news conference about gun violence in North Lawndale.

“This is involuntary. That we’re cutting off funding for schools, cutting off funding for police, allowing people to be forced to live in food deserts, closing hospitals, closing access to mental health facilities. What choice do people have but to move, to leave?” Kennedy added. “And I think that’s part of a strategic gentrification plan being implemented by the city of Chicago to push people of color out of the city. The city is becoming smaller, and as it becomes smaller, it’s become whiter.”

The mayor’s office responded by trying to link Kennedy to two Republican politicians who enjoy little popularity in Chicago — President Donald Trump and Gov. Bruce Rauner, whom Kennedy wants to replace.

“It’s sad to see Chris Kennedy joining President Trump and Gov. Rauner in using cynical, politically motivated attacks about Chicago’s communities for his own personal gain,” Emanuel spokesman Matt McGrath said in a statement. “His divisive comments today are a direct assault on one of this city’s greatest strengths — our diversity.”

McGrath also said Kennedy’s attack on Emanuel “ignored work being done in neighborhoods across the city” to “improve the quality of life for everyone who calls Chicago home.”

Kennedy, an heir to the iconic Massachusetts political family, has sought to appeal to African-American voters, focusing on the issue of gun violence and questioning the fairness of educational opportunities and property taxation in black neighborhoods. The names of his uncle, the late President John F. Kennedy, and father, the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy, still carry resonance among older black voters from the family’s leadership in the struggle for civil rights during the 1960s.

Kennedy, who has had a tough time raising campaign money, is searching for a path to victory in the March 20 Democratic governor primary. He has ramped up his critiques of the Democratic establishment at a time when rival J.B. Pritzker has consolidated support from traditional Democratic organizations and spent tens of millions of dollars on TV advertising.

Previously, Kennedy has attacked House Speaker Michael Madigan, the state’s Democratic chairman, and Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the county’s Democratic chairman.

Kennedy has called for Berrios’ ouster after the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois published “The Tax Divide,” an investigation that found Berrios’ office’s assessments were so riddled with errors that they created deep inequities favoring owners of expensive commercial properties and homes at the expense of owners of smaller business properties and less-expensive homes.

Kennedy wants to ban elected officials from also holding outside jobs as property tax appeal lawyers. Madigan, for example, has a property tax appeals business.

On Wednesday, Kennedy added Emanuel to the list of top Democrats he’s criticizing, saying the mayor shouldn’t claim credit for a reduction in homicides last year compared with 2016.

“Not to the people of North Lawndale he can’t (claim credit). Not to the people in lots of neighborhoods in this city where crime continues to increase, not decrease; where funds have been removed; where schools are being closed; where community police officers don’t exist; where training of cops is diminished; where an entire generation of police officers are retiring early, leaving no one to mentor the younger officers; where crime is the result of that cataclysmic combination of forces,” Kennedy said.

The candidate contended Chicago was “using a strategy of selective containment where we’re allowing violence to continue as long as it only continues in certain neighborhoods.”

Those remarks drew a response from Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who portrayed Kennedy as out of touch with the city’s crime-fighting efforts. Johnson also said “no one is spiking the ball” on reducing violence.

“I’ve never heard from Chris Kennedy. I’ve never even met him. He’s never visited a police station or asked me or my team for any kind of briefing on what we are doing in Chicago to address the gang violence and ongoing infusion of illegal guns on our streets,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m not a politician, but I do take issue with the hard work our men and women are doing to beat back this violence is used to score political points.”

Kennedy said adequate funding for the city’s public schools and for better law enforcement “isn’t available because the mayor allows the Cook County assessor to continue to underassess the downtown buildings owned by corporate America — people who make donations to Rahm Emanuel, folks he’s now protecting.”

The logic behind that attack, however, isn’t entirely accurate. Even if downtown buildings were assessed at a higher value, more money would not be available for schools and other government services because the overall tax burden would not be increased, but simply shifted more toward the commercial buildings and away from other taxpayers.

Kennedy said Emanuel’s predecessor, Richard M. Daley, filed “undervaluation complaints” about large commercial properties “until the assessor walked a straight line.” In 2003, the city Law Department said it had successfully fought $27 million in reductions that had been granted to assessments of business property.

“That’s not happening anymore. And as a result, we’re underfunding our schools and we’re underfunding our Police Department, and the result is violence,” Kennedy said.

Following the Tribune’s reports that raised questions about the assessment system, Emanuel was asked last month if he would start sending city attorneys to challenge assessment appeals filed on behalf of major commercial property owners, some of which are filed by law firms owned by Madigan and Ald. Ed Burke.

“I’m not going to speak to that at this point,” said Emanuel, dodging the question. “I appreciate that.”

Kennedy cited as an example of the “strategic gentrification plan” a move by CPS to close four South Side high schools for a year before a new school opens in 2019.

“I don’t know what you can say when the strategic plan for Chicago Public Schools suggest that the entire community of Englewood can go an entire year without access to a high school,” he said.

“What are you saying to the people there? No one’s going to move there who’s got a high school kid. And anybody with a high school kid has to think about what they’re going to do. It’s just a device to empty out the community,” he said.

Emanuel’s office did not directly respond to the schools criticism but cast Kennedy’s comments as little more than campaign season rhetoric.

“The noise of this particular election will come and go,” said McGrath, Emanuel’s spokesman. “And when it does, we’ll still be focusing on boosting neighborhood small businesses, investing in our schools and improving public safety.”

Federal census figures show that in 2010, a year before Emanuel was first elected mayor, Chicago’s African-American population totaled 895,294, or 33.2 percent. Census data released last year showed the number of black residents declining to 793,852, representing about 29.3 percent of the city’s population.

That continued a long-term decline in African-American population, as Chicago also lost 177,404 black residents between 2000 and 2010, census figures showed.

The accusations Kennedy lobbed Wednesday, while Emanuel remained out of town on vacation, took aim at a political weakness for the mayor: support among African-Americans.

Emanuel twice won the mayor’s office with significant backing from black voters, but much of that eroded in November 2015 after a judge ordered Emanuel to release dashcam video of the Laquan McDonald police shooting. White police Officer Jason Van Dyke shot the black teenager 16 times in the middle of a Southwest Side street.

The mayor’s court fight against releasing the video, a $5 million settlement with the McDonald family before a lawsuit was even filed and murder charges filed against Van Dyke the same day the video was released led to weeks of street protests, accusations of a cover-up and calls for Emanuel’s resignation.

Polls in the following months showed Emanuel’s support among African-Americans plummeting, and the city’s Police Department became the subject of a federal civil rights investigation by the Obama administration that found patterns of misconduct and excessive force against minorities.

Since then, Emanuel has sought to rebuild lost support by making a series of changes to the Police Department, revising the city’s policy on releasing police shooting videos and pursuing a plan to hire nearly 1,000 new officers.

As for Kennedy and Emanuel, there is not much of a public history between the two. Kennedy has supported Emanuel before, contributing $5,000 to the mayor’s campaign in September 2014, records show.

NFL stadium takes shape in Inglewood - Construction is ramping up on the huge arena

Construction on the stadium is slated to wrap up in 2020. All images courtesy Los Angeles Stadium & Entertainment District

Last year’s unusually wet winter held back construction on the future home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers in Inglewood, forcing the stadium’s developers to push back its opening day to 2020.

But scarcely a drop of rain has fallen this winter, and construction is now moving right along.

Builders of the 70,000-seat arena announced Wednesday that thus far roughly 6 million cubic yards of dirt have been excavated, 45,000 cubic yards of concrete poured, and eight cranes brought to the construction site.

A massive structural retaining wall, which will support the stadium, is now 65 percent complete, and the outline of the ovular structure is taking shape.

Work on the project is about to ramp up. About 850 workers are now employed on the stadium on a given day, but that number will more than quadruple by next year.

At that point, work will have begun on the glassy roof canopy, which builders promise will be constructed using the help of “one of the largest cranes in the world.”

That’s par for the course for this particular project, which seems to be gunning for nearly every available superlative.

With a projected cost of $2.6 billion, the stadium and surrounding entertainment district and urban village will be the costliest NFL complex ever built (it could also be the most expensive for fans). At 3 million square feet, it will be the largest stadium in professional football. Its 120-yard video screen (dubbed Oculus) will be the biggest around.

As the renderings below illustrate, the screen will encircle the top of the field like a glittery halo. Above the screen will be a clear roofline allowing light to shine down on fans assembled in seats or luxury suites (there will be 275 of them).

Here’s a closer look at what the stadium will look like when complete:

Legendary Journalist Simeon Booker to Be Memorialized at Washington National Cathedral January 29

Story by Trice Edney News Wire

A memorial service for trailblazing civil rights journalist Simeon Booker will be held on Monday, January 29, 2018, his wife, Carol McCabe Booker, has announced. The service is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Booker, a journalistic icon, died Dec. 10 at the age of 99.

Booker's more than half-century of civil rights reporting, most notably the brutal murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi, helped propel the civil rights struggle onto the front pages of newspapers across the country which had long ignored the oppression of Black Americans. Previously, he had been the first full-time black reporter at the Washington Post.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Simeon Booker Scholarship at Youngstown State University. All gifts designated for this minority scholarship are matched by the Youngstown State U Foundation, to which checks should be payable, at 655 Wick Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio 44502.

The biography of Simeon Booker is documented as follows at TheHistoryMakers.org:

Magazine and newspaper reporter Simeon Saunders Booker, Jr. was born on August 27, 1918, in Baltimore, Maryland to Roberta Waring and Simeon Saunders Booker, Sr., a YMCA director and minister. After his family moved to Youngstown, Ohio, Booker became interested in journalism through a family friend, Carl Murphy, the owner and operator of Baltimore's The Afro American Newspapers.

In 1942, after receiving his B.A. degree in English from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Booker took a job at the The Afro American Newspapers as a young reporter. In 1945, he moved back to Ohio to work for the Call and Post. Five years later, Booker was the recipient of the Nieman Fellowship from Harvard University to study journalism and develop his talent as a reporter. After leaving Harvard in 1951, Booker became the first full-time black reporter at The Washington Post.

In 1954, Booker was hired by the Johnson Publishing Company to report on current events in its weekly digest, Jet. In 1955, Booker helped to redefine the role of Jet and the entire Civil Rights Movement with his famous coverage of the Emmett Till murder and trial, turning an all too familiar event in the Deep South into a national tragedy that united the black community. Booker remained on the dangerous front lines of the Civil Rights Movement, reporting on the 1957 integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 1961, Booker rode with the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) Freedom Riders through the Deep South. When the buses were fire bombed in Anniston, Alabama, Booker arranged the Freedom Riders' evacuation with U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Continuing his work of in-depth reporting, Booker toured Vietnam and interviewed General Westmoreland for Jet in the mid-1960s.

In 1964, Booker outlined the importance of the ongoing Civil Rights Movement in his book, Black Man's America. Booker covered every Presidential election since the Eisenhower Administration in his fifty-three years with Johnson Publishing until he retired in 2007.

Among his journalistic holdings, Booker has also authored four books. They include a 2013 memoir, Shocking the Conscience: A Reporter's Account of the Civil Rights Movement, which was co-written with his wife, Carol McCabe Booker.

In 1982, Booker received one of the most prestigious awards in journalism, the National Press Club's Fourth Estate Award. Booker was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association, The Black Press of America, in 2007. The National Association of Black Journalists' inducted Booker into its Hall of Fame in 2013. He also received a career George Polk Award for lifetime achievements in journalism and the top award among journalists upon the 70th Anniversary of the Capital Press Club, proclaiming him "Dean of Black Journalists, Iconic Trailblazer for Justice in America."

He is survived by his wife, Carol, and three children, Theodore Booker, Simeon Booker III, and Theresa Booker. A third son, James Booker, died in 1991.

Donald J.Trump: "Bannon has 'lost his mind'"

Story by The Hill
Written by Jordan Fabian

President Trump on Wednesday ripped former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon for his incendiary criticism of the president and his family published in a new book.

In a blistering statement issued by the White House, Trump said Bannon has "lost his mind" and claimed he had “no influence” within the West Wing.

“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency,” Trump said. “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.”

Trump sought to undercut the veracity of comments attributed to Bannon, once one of Trump's closest aides, that appear in the forthcoming book by Michael Wolff "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House."

"Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books," Trump said.

"Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was," the president added.

Earlier Wednesday, excerpts from the book leaked that quoted Bannon describing a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between a Russian lawyer and Trump’s son, son-in-law and campaign chairman as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”

Bannon also said he believed the Russians were taken to meet Trump following the meeting, something the president has denied.

"They're going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV," Bannon predicted, referring to the president’s eldest son.

The book, which purports to draw on more than 200 interviews, is full of explosive claims about Trump, his family and his staff that painted a picture of a campaign and administration wracked by chaos and infighting.

Bannon and his allies were caught off guard by the release of the book excerpts and were bracing for more excerpts with explosive quotes to drop in the coming days. Bannon, who was ousted from the White House last August, is quoted frequently as a central figure in Trump World.

The former White House strategist has not yet responded to Trump’s statement and it did not appear that a statement was forthcoming. Sources in Bannon’s immediate orbit did not respond to texts and phone calls.
The president’s statement came as a part of a full-court press by the White House against the book.

“This book is filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a subsequent statement. “Participating in a book that can only be described as trashy tabloid fiction exposes their sad, desperate attempts at relevancy.”

Stephanie Grisham, the communications director for Melania Trump, denied vivid claims in Wolffs’ book that the first lady cried tears of sadness after Trump’s election victory.

“The book is clearly going to be sold in the bargain fiction section,” said Grisham. “Mrs. Trump supported her husband's decision to run for president and in fact, encouraged him to do so. She was confident he would win and was very happy when he did.”

Wolff said he had wide-ranging access to the White House during the earliest days of Trump’s presidency.

The author said he was able to take up “something like a semi-permanent seat on a couch in the West Wing” shortly after the inauguration at the urging of the president, according to a note published by New York magazine, which ran an excerpt from the book.

Reporters spotted Wolff entering the West Wing in February and April 2017. But the total number of visits is hard to verify because the White House keeps its visitor logs secret.

Earlier in the day, Breitbart News aggregated Bannon’s quote about Trump, Jr.’s actions as being “treasonous” – which seemed to be an implicit endorsement of the remarks.
The notion that Trump, Jr. bumbled his way into the middle of the Russia controversy while doing the bidding of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is widely held among Bannon and his allies, where there is anger at Trump, Jr. for creating a political mess for his father.

“I agree with Steve, why would Donald Trump, Jr. take that meeting?,” said one source close to Bannon. “I don’t think he’s actively committing treason but it is just so idiotic. Look, I’m a huge fan of Don, Jr. I just feel bad for the guy because this is Jared’s game and he’s just caught up in this mess now."

In interviews with Bannon’s allies conducted before Trump’s statement, there was some optimism that the president would look past Bannon’s remarks and chalk them up as “fake news."

“I’ve seen some people complaining about their quotes so wouldn’t surprise me if some of Steve’s stuff was victim of that too,” said one person close to Bannon.

But Bannon’s remarks about Trump, Jr. caught on with help from influential conservative aggregator Matt Drudge, who led his website with the story.

“Drudge is tight with Jared so it’s no surprise that he’d drive that story line,” said one former White House adviser. In a tweet, Drudge called Bannon "schizophrenic."

The book added to the swirl of controversy that has enveloped the White House shortly after Trump’s return to Washington this week from his holiday vacation in Florida.

Trump came under heavy fire from his critics late Tuesday for goading North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over his nuclear arsenal.

Now, Trump finds himself at war with one of his closest political allies.

After exiting the White House last summer, Bannon returned to his perch as chairman of Breitbart News, the far-right publication that has billed itself as the voice of Trump’s base.

Bannon has also tried to position himself as a kingmaker in Republican primary races ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

But Trump blasted Bannon’s political instincts, saying he had “everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans.”

“Steve doesn’t represent my base — he’s only in it for himself,” Trump said in his statement.

Trump also endorsed the GOP nominee, Roy Moore, who lost the election amid multiple accusations of sexual harassment.

“Thanks Steve. Keep up the great work,” Donald Trump, Jr., tweeted in response to a reporter who noted Democrat Doug Jones swearing in as senator.

The political operation of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a fierce Bannon critics, piled on. Its Twitter account posted a short video clip of McConnell grinning after Trump’s statement was released.

Trump’s tone on Wednesday stood in stark contrast to his reaction after Bannon’s departure from the White House.

"I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton - it was great! Thanks S” he tweeted at the time.

Bannon remained in Trump’s orbit. The president and his former top strategist spoke over the phone several times about the Senate races and the Russia investigation.